Bahrain Tamarod
Bahrain Tamarod, also known as August 14 Rebellion, was a three-day protest campaign in Bahrain that began on 14 August 2013, the forty-second anniversary of Bahrain's Independence Day and the two-and-a-half-year anniversary of the Bahraini uprising. The call for protests had started in early July following and inspired by the Egyptian Tamarod Movement that led to the removal of President Mohamed Morsi. Calling for a "free and democratic Bahrain", Tamarod activists, who mobilized social networking websites, said their movement was peaceful, national and non-sectarian. They called for gradual peaceful civil disobedience starting from 14 August. The movement gained the support of opposition societies and human rights activists, including those languishing in prison. The government however, repeatedly warned against the protests, promising those who participate with legal action and forceful confrontation. Rights activists and media reported that authorities had stepped up their crackdown campaigns in the weeks leading up to the protests.
In late July, the king called for a parliamentary special session. The pro-government parliament submitted 22 recommendations, some of them calling for stripping those convicted of "terrorist crimes" from their nationality and banning almost all protests in the capital, Manama. Despite outcries from the United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, the king endorsed the recommendations and issued two decrees to their effect. The Prime Minister asked his ministers to carry out the recommendations immediately and issued several warnings against protests. In the following days, the government arrested three photographers, two bloggers, a lawyer and a politician, prevented human rights activists and journalists from entering the country, deported an American teacher and reportedly encircled entire areas with barbed wire. The government denied arrests had targeted activists. A few days before 14 August, activists said they had gathered tens of thousands of signatures in support of highly anticipated protests.
The day of 14 August witnessed heavy deployment of security forces, which used tear gas and birdshot against hundreds to thousands of protesters who gathered in several locations throughout the country. Many shops were closed in response to Tamarod's call for a general strike. Opposition activists and media reported over 60 demonstrations throughout the country. The opposition and several citizens accused authorities of cutting Internet connections. The government blocked a website covering the protests, but activists and citizen journalists provided live coverage on social media websites, and Anonymous targeted a government website. At least twenty protesters were arrested and ten injured, two critically, activists said. The tightened security measures have succeeded in preventing large-scale protests in Manama. On 15 and 16 August, smaller protests occurred in several locations which police dispersed without injuries.
Tamarod and Al Wefaq opposition society praised the protests and said they were successful. The government of Bahrain however said protests did not affect everyday life. The United States said it supported freedom of expression and assembly, and voiced its concern at the chances of violence. Analysts were divided between those who expected protests to be huge and those that did not see them having any chance. They were also divided about the reasons behind the absence of mass protests in Manama, some blaming it on the security forces, others on protest organizers.
Background
Beginning in February 2011, Bahrain saw sustained pro-democracy protests, centered at Pearl Roundabout in the capital of Manama, as part of the wider Arab Spring. Authorities responded with a night raid on 17 February, which left four protesters dead and more than 300 injured. In March, martial law was declared and Saudi troops were called in. Despite the hard crackdown and official ban, the protests continued. According to the International Federation for Human Rights, at least 80 people were killed during the unrest.Calls for a rebellion
Inspired by the Egyptian Tamarod Movement that led to the removal of President Mohamed Morsi, Bahraini opposition activists formed Bahrain Rebellion Movement on 3 July 2013 and called for mass protests starting on 14 August, the forty-second anniversary of Bahrain Independence Day under the banner Bahrain Tamarod. The day also marked the two-and-a-half-year anniversary of the Bahraini uprising. The movement which is also known as the August 14 Rebellion, identified itself as "a movement calling for awareness, nationalism, sovereignty, independence and legitimacy, with a message of love, loyalty and dedication to all of the Bahraini people in rebellion against the authorities." One of its members said they were a youth movement, not a political party. A Reuters article described Tamarod as "a loose grouping of opposition activists who came together in early July to push for a 'free and democratic Bahrain' through mass anti-government demonstrations".Activists mobilized social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter to campaign for the protest movement. They issued their first statement on 4 July titled "Bahrain has Risen up" and "The August 14 Rebels" describing their goals and reasons. " a nation that embraces all its citizens. We want a Bahrain to which we can all belong... This movement is for freedom, for which Bahrainis have long yearned and made great sacrifices over many decades of struggle." The statement also accused authorities of confiscating the people's values and rights, and "restrict their movement and activities."
In an interview with France 24, Hussain Yousif, a member of the Bahrain Rebellion Movement said the movement will employ all types of peaceful civil resistance including the call for a gradual civil disobedience starting on 14 August with abstaining from shopping, commercial and government transactions such as paying electricity bills. He highlighted the royal family's almost complete monopoly on power, the political stalemate and ongoing human rights violations as main motivations. Yousif added that the main principles of the movement were peacefulness, non-exclusion and recognizing the people's right to self-determination, and called the authorities to understand their demands and refrain from using violence against protesters. "We use pure national slogans, not belonging to any specific sect or ideology," he said. The Christian Science Monitor said the 14 August protests were "the latest installment of a two-year long protest movement." Protests were planned to last for three days.
Left without an epicenter after the destruction of Pearl Roundabout in 2011, Tamarod announced their plans to stage peaceful protests in nine different locations, all in the streets, with the largest expected in Manama. One of the protests was planned near the U.S. embassy, a country that protest organizers had called on to use its influence to prevent government crackdown and protect demonstrations, which they said was an "ethical responsibility" for the U.S. "We hope that you may convey our deep concern to the US State Department and the US Congress to exert a real political pressure on Bahraini regime to avoid any fatal crackdown and bloodshed," they said in an open letter.
Events leading to the protests
Soon after Tamarod's first statement, the Haq Movement for Liberty and Democracy announced its support for protest plans. "Let August 14 be the day of rebellion against the ruling gang in Bahrain," the movement said in a statement. The February 14 Youth Coalition also supported the protests and called for civil disobedience for 3 days. The youth group also told participants to avoid clashing with police. Ali Salman, leader of Al Wefaq opposition society welcomed the Tamarod plans. "We support any peaceful movement, at any time and from any party. Everybody has the right to protest... the call for protests on August 14 shows that the Bahraini people will not cease to demonstrate until they achieve their demands," he added. Al Wefaq however, stopped short of taking part in the Tamarod movement, blaming their secession on clashes between security forces and protesters. "t is going to be a peaceful movement but having said that I also expect clashes... I only pray that there are no victims," said Ali Salman.Jailed activist Zainab al-Khawaja smuggled a letter from prison in which she called people to participate in Tamarod protests. "On 14 February 2011, the people of Bahrain took to the street to demand their rights... and on 14 August, the day of Tamarod, the people have to go out with same strength in order to send a message to the world and the regime that they have not and will never back down," the letter read. Zainab's father, Abdulhadi al-Khawaja who is also jailed delivered a message via Mohammed al-Maskati of Bahrain Youth Society for Human Rights in which he called for "a peaceful Tamarrod on August 14th... under the banner of 'Right to Self determination'." Another jailed rights activist, Nabeel Rajab also announced his support for Tamarod protests. "I call for rebellion against all laws that violate the rights of the people. The law should be enacted to establish justice and equality between people and the protection of rights," his Twitter account, followed by 211,000+ and controlled by others quoted him saying.
On 13 July, the Ministry of Interior warned against joining the 14 August protests which it called "illegal demonstrations and activities that endanger security". The MoI said it will "deal with any attempt to disturb security and stability". In anticipation to the 14 August protests, the MoI stepped up security measures and further warned that it will take legal action toward those who participate. The MOI has warned Bahrainis: The Prime Minister joined the MoI in warning against planned protests. The Al Wefaq opposition movement slammed the warnings and affirmed "the right to protest peacefully". "This will not solve the political crisis. The solution is in satisfying the people's aspirations for liberty, social justice and democracy," Al Wefaq added. Other opposition societies such as National Democratic Action Society and Nationalist Democratic Assembly also joined Al Wefaq in affirming the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. Mainstream opposition societies cancelled a planned mass protest on 14 August, "because of the heavily intimidating security presence in Manama".
Tamarod is reported to have gained popularity among the opposition since mid-July, prompting the United States Embassy in Manama to eventually issue a warning for U.S. citizens to avoid certain areas in Bahrain on 14 August. The selected areas were mostly opposition strongholds. For weeks, the government was reported to have intensified its house raids and arrests against over five hundred wanted activists, many of them sleeping outside their homes for months in anticipation of such raids.
Maryam al-Khawaja, the acting head of Bahrain Centre for Human Rights said nightly raids were now occurring all day long and that physical, psychological and sexual torture had continued. "Since the announcing of the planned protest on the 14th of August... a very severe escalation in the crackdown," she said. She added that Tamarod protests were "part and parcel of the ongoing uprising that started on 14 February 2011". According to activists, up to 400 were arrested during the month of Ramadhan and more than 100 houses were raided in Manama alone.